The Other Side of Lonely
by paynesgrey
Summary: Fighting alone on the streets of Starling City, the Black Canary could use a little help from a friend. Enter: Cisco Ramon. Laurel Lance x Cisco Ramon. Blackvibe.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Written for the Summer Mini Challenge on Livejournal. This is for the "obviously" prompt. This story will be at least five chapters, if not more.

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 **Chapter One**

Laurel looked down at the last of her milkshake and pouted. It was certainly no fun drinking one of these alone, and she had been lonely since Nyssa left, Oliver and Felicity went missing, and the rest of her friends had went back to their lives.

Of course, the Black Canary still roamed the late nights of Starling City, rounding up thieves, beating up rapists, and rescuing children from predators. Truthfully, she began to enjoy the long sighs from her father as he found her catches tied to whatever fence or parking meter before she took off back into the shadows.

Fighting alone as the Black Canary was her mission, but Laurel Lance was lonely. Keeping in the company of bad guys was only thrilling for so long.

She inhaled a heavy breath as she looked down at her check. She was going to have to get up early in the morning for a long run if she wanted to burn off this milkshake, but at least she felt a little better, thinking of her friendship of Nyssa and how Sara would have loved to join them if she were alive.

Laurel went for her wallet in her purse, and she momentarily glanced up at the TV inside the shop, noticing a breaking news story about Central City.

It was the same story. They were dealing with the aftermath of some freak black hole that had almost consumed the city. Thanks to the Flash, the entire populace barely escaped intact. Now the city was picking up the pieces, and Laurel knew that feeling all too well when Starling City had come under its own disasters.

Thinking of Central City brought Cisco to her mind. She had seen the black hole news last week, and she urgently texted him to check in if he was okay. He'd called her back, and tried to put an ease to her worries.

"We're okay, barely. We made it, but Laurel… it's going to take time to get over all of this. We've all felt some loss. I don't know what Caitlin and I are going to do without Dr. Wells. We'll have to keep Star Labs going at least for Barry's sake."

He sounded grim and distant, and her worry increased, but Laurel was at least relieved. She hadn't heard much from him since. Once in awhile she'd get text messages from him, but they barely delved deeply into a heartfelt conversation.

She was anxious to travel to Central City to help them, but Cisco wanted her to stay in Starling City to help the victims needed her there. Without the Arrow, Starling City really didn't have much support beyond the police. Her father wouldn't like to admit it, but the Black Canary was helping and making the streets safer.

Laurel just had to keep training and focusing her energy on helping people in Starling City, and not worrying about Cisco and her new friends at Star Labs.

She admitted it was rather difficult without Oliver and Felicity. She hoped wherever they were, they were happy. She wasn't happy, but she wasn't going to blame them.

Her unhappiness was from loneliness, and the only comfort she seemed to find was within a high-calorie milk shake and some of Cisco's sporadic texts.

Setting money by her check, Laurel picked up her purse to leave. As she headed to the door, she stopped slightly bewildered at who had entered. She couldn't believe the very person she'd been thinking about was standing before her. Talk about a weird sort of kismet.

Cisco Ramon waved at her awkwardly and forced a cheery smile. Laurel could tell from his eyes that he was feeling worse than he was showing her.

"Hi, your father Captain Lance told me you would be here," he said immediately.

"What...what are you doing here?" she asked, and before she could take the words back, she realized she'd reacted just a little harshly.

His smile didn't fade. "I'm here to get away from Central City. I was hoping there was a part-time job opening. I'm partial to nights."

When he grinned it was contagious. She beamed at him. "Well, I might know of an opening. What are your qualifications?"

"Oh, I have many versatile skills," he said. She laughed. She was sure he was being suggestive.

She kind of liked it.

"Well, I guess this is the interview then. How about a walk? So we can talk," she said.

He opened the door of the shoppe and made a motion. "After you."

She smirked at him as she walked out the door and he stepped beside her. She looked around and the streets were emptying. Not many people were milling about, and nobody was paying attention to them. Good; perhaps they could talk about how he could help her as the Black Canary. She missed having the backup and support.

"So… how's the Canary Cry?" he asked in almost a whisper.

"It's amazing," she said grinning at him.

"Care to let me look at it and make a few enhancements?" he asked as they walked toward her car parked on the side of the street.

She stopped in front of the hood of her car and turned to him. "Of course I'd love it, but let me ask you one question, Cisco. What are you really doing here?"

His mirth seemed to fade, and she could see pain reflect in his dark eyes. "I told you, I needed to get away. For awhile. I don't know how long, but I know that whatever I was doing in Central City was making me crazy, so Caitlin and Barry suggested I take a break. I was going to visit my brother but… I don't know, since the news of the Arrow, I wondered if I might be more useful in Starling City."

"Well, it's been a lot quieter since The League left, but there's still crime here. The police should be enough, but frankly I'm not satisfied with that," she said.

She saw him arch an eyebrow. He said, "I wouldn't have guessed."

"So, what's next?" Laurel asked him.

"Ah… maybe a drink?" he replied. She shook her head.

"Can't. I'm recovering," she said with a sheepish smile. He only looked slightly surprised.

"What about food?" He asked.

"I just devoured a huge vanilla shake, so there's no way I'm eating anything else," she said.

"What if I'm hungry?" he asked, and she gave him a displeased look. "Okay, I can wait. Well, then what do you suggest?"

She smirked at him again and then looked around the streets. She met his eyes again. "I don't know… maybe we could try some crime fighting?"

He grinned widely. "I'm down with that. Don't you, uh… need to change for that?"

Laurel rolled her eyes. "No, I'm going to go charging at the criminals in a suit and pumps. Yes, obviously I have to change. Meet me at my place?"

The excitement on Cisco's face was indescribable, but Laurel was certain he had other thoughts crossing his mind from that statement.

"Oh yeah," he simply said. She wondered if he was celebrating inside because it certainly looked like it in his smile.

"Great, get your car and you can follow," she said, and she tossed her hair over her shoulder and unlocked her car. He walked backwards watching her as she slid inside. Their eyes met for a moment and she smiled sweetly at him. The gesture had him turning his heels into a run.

Laurel turned on her car and watched him as he found his own vehicle and started on his way over to her. For the first time in weeks, she felt strangely excited and relieved. Having Cisco show up to help her was already curbing her loneliness. It would be nice to have someone around who knew her secret and supported her.

And Cisco wasn't just anyone. He'd given her the Canary Cry, and at one point - told her he loved her out of glee, although it was more for her alias than it was for her. Still, it felt good to be appreciated, and Laurel knew that he admired her.

Maybe having someone like Cisco around was just what she needed.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Written for the "wave" prompt for the Summer mini challenge on Livejournal.

 **Chapter Two**

Cisco pulled up next to Laurel's car and parked in a small lot across from a large apartment complex. He grabbed a few bags from his car, and he turned around and looked at the looming red apartment building with white shutters. Several lights were on in the complex except for one on the side, which he assumed to be Laurel's.

He turned his head as he heard a "beep" and saw Laurel locking her car and tilting her head toward the building, motioning for him to follow. He quickened his pace and fell in step beside her as they walked through a gate and into a small lobby.

Cisco took in the scenery as they headed into an elevator to her floor. He couldn't find the words to speak, and neither could Laurel, apparently, as they stood together giving each other nervous smiles.

"What are in the bags?" she finally asked, and Cisco almost forgot he was carrying them.

"My tech, well, some of it. There are two more bags in the back of my car. Most of them are smaller, more mobile tech that I keep in the van at Star Labs. But it should be good enough to take with us and monitor you while you're out there. Most of the systems have been Felicity-upgraded, so of course, they are very handy," he said.

Laurel nodded appreciatively. "Great," she said, and he followed her down the hall to her apartment door. He watched her unlock it and direct him inside. He looked around at the decor, admiring the brick next to the white geometric walls. He directed his attention to her scarlet couch and then to the small coffee table in front of it. Well, it was supposed to be a table. Mostly it looked like a mountain of paper on four wooden legs.

She sighed. "Sorry for the mess. As you can see this is how I track criminals."

"Law records," he guessed.

"Yep, most of the cases I'm working on, but crime in the city has been thin lately so I started delving into questionable cases," she said.

"Huh, what sort of questionable cases?" he asked, looking around desperately for a place he could sit, let alone set up his gear.

"Oh, mostly cases where it was obvious a juror or judge were bought off. Cases where police had bumbled evidence even though it was clear the accused was guilty. Some of them are mob cases, so you know the paper trail goes wild there," she explained. She went through open sliding doors to another room with her desk, and began clearing a spot for him. She met his eyes. "Go ahead and set up here. I'm going to get ready."

"Um, okay. I'll go get my other bags first," Cisco said. "I need to have all the complete equipment."

"Fine. I'll leave the door unlocked," she said. She crossed her arms. "I take it you know how to get back here?"

"Haha," he said. "I wouldn't forget." As he left, he could feel her watching him walk out the door.

When Cisco returned, Laurel's bedroom door was closed and he could sense movement coming from the room even behind the closed doors. He wondered if the doors in her place were really that thin, but instead of standing there like a creeper he decided to get to work by setting up his tech. He built a mini-server in her office room, and started connecting all the accessories before booting up and launching the system. He'd then mirror the system with his tablet (thanks to Felicity) and get it ready for when he'd follow the Black Canary out in the field.

Normally, he didn't go into the field, but he felt it'd be weird hanging out in Laurel's apartment by himself when she was fighting alone on the streets. Plus, he felt a protective wave come over him when it came to Laurel. Oh, he knew she could take care of herself, but what if she got in a bind and needed him? What if he could save her by being closer than just hanging out in her place? He wouldn't dare leave Laurel to fight alone, not when he'd come all the way from Central City to see her.

Well, Laurel wasn't the only reason he came to Starling City. He had to get away from the wreckage that the Reverse Flash had left behind. Barry was still healing from injuries that he'd sustained trying to stop the black hole, and even though he was able to at least walk around, Caitlin worried that he'd get side effects from the time traveling as well as exposure to unknowns in that black hole. Barry was already having weird dreams, and on some occasions he wasn't himself. The only people he'd allow near him sometimes were Iris and Joe, even though Caitlin and Cisco were there to help him.

Caitlin was more useful to Barry than Cisco was at the moment, and some days, while picking up the pieces of a fragmented Star Labs, Cisco felt like he was going in circles to nowhere. The tedium of cleaning up what the fake Dr. Wells had left them started to gnaw on Cisco's senses and feed fire to his emotions. He felt like destroying the rest of Star Labs several times, wanting to enact his rage on something when he could no longer lash out at the true source. He'd even been short with Caitlin sometimes, nasty and unkind, and when she called him out on it, he knew he needed a break.

They thought maybe he needed family at this time, but Cisco knew his family would only suffer from his moods. Plus, they wouldn't understand. Perhaps his brother might, but Cisco didn't want to burden him either. He needed time on his own. Before he knew it, his body had taken him to Starling City while his mind was in a daze.

Then, the moment he saw the Starling City sign, he thought of ADA Laurel Lance.

And here he was.

Cisco sniffed when he started to smell something delicious, and he looked down at his work and didn't realize how involved his mind was on connecting all the computer equipment. He was almost finished; he just had to start Felicity's program and mirror his tablet with the server host with all his sophisticated programs.

He paused for a second, delighting in the delicious smell coming from Laurel's kitchen. He hadn't even realized she had come out of her bedroom or was cooking at all.

Quickly, he began the final program sync before setting down the tablet and heading out of Laurel's small office. He followed the fine cooking smells of oils and spices to the source.

Then, Cisco stopped dead in his tracks. Before him, his eyes fell upon the loveliest scene he had ever encountered in his entire lifetime.

The Black Canary was making ravioli. In her Black Canary outfit; well, minus the gloves but still — here she was in all her black leather glory over a hot stove preparing food. He remembered her form one last time, knowing he could now die and go to heaven happy. His eyes took in her blonde wig, the black mask, the skin-tight shiny costume, and of course, his tech around her neck: the Canary Cry.

"Are you going to stare at me all night or eat this?" she asked, slightly annoyed at his silence. He looked up bewildered and met her tilted head and pursed lips. She tried to look angry at him, but Cisco wasn't fooled. He liked that about her. She had a slight edge to her, a sharpness to her feminine tone that gave him an indescribable rush.

Oh, man, he was going to Hell for the thoughts he was having now.

"Uh… for me?" he asked dumbly.

"You said you were hungry," she said as a matter-of-factly.

"Yes… but you said you weren't," he challenged. Then, Cisco saw her smirk. How was he still standing up on his dumb shuddering knees when she looked at him like that?

"I didn't make this for me. Eat up," she said. "I'm not much of a cook, but I've been trying. I just don't have any time to make anything that requires a lot of effort."

"No, no, it's cool. This looks...uh, delicious. I haven't had anyone cook for me in a long time," he said.

Laurel cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's not really cooking. Just ready made."

He grinned and squinted at her. "Do you want to take the compliment or not?"

"Depends," she said with a light smile, walking from the stove over to him. Cisco couldn't help but love the way she moved in that outfit. He tried not to think of the glorious way she would look without that outfit too. When she stood by him, she held up a bowl of ravioli, all scooped and ready for him. "I'll guess I'll have to take the compliment after you finish this."

Cisco took the bowl from her, but he couldn't think of anything to say. He felt - intimidated and enamored all at once. "Um, okay," he said, playing it off with a laugh. "I'm sure you want to get going...So, thanks," he said.

Laurel smiled prettily. He almost expected her to say, "You're welcome" to go along with that smile. Instead, she beamed at him and said, "Now hurry up."

He knew that it wasn't smart to argue with Laurel Lance - _no_ \- the Black Canary when she just cooked him dinner and was now watching him impatiently. So, Cisco reluctantly took his eyes away from her and glanced at his food before digging in.


End file.
